Beginning Homeschooling:Top Three Bloopers!

Beginning homeschooling
can feel like a leap in the dark. Now I am at the end
of my homeschooling journey, with a son going to Oxford University
and a daughter following an unschooling route as an artist, I can
look back and see I made quite a few … BLOOPERS!

All homeschoolers
are bound to feel vulnerable – after all, it's your child's future
that's at stake. And the feeling that everyone is watching you is
likely to cause MISTAKES.

So I want to help
you stay strong and
avoid the top three pitfalls.

Trap One: Lack of Flexibility

When
you are beginning homeschooling, there is a strong temptation to stick to the
plan.

After all, other children get up every morning and spend the school day 'learning' so that's exactly what you should be doing.

You
can easily panic that you won't have something to prove that you're
doing a good job unless your kids do some standard 'work' in the day.

So you may well fill your day with a timetable which has time blocks with things which everyone would recognize as 'learning' - like Math and English.

It's a great
temptation isn't it? When you are beginning homeschooling surely all you have to do is find the right
curriculum – and if it's expensive – well, it's worth paying the
extra because it must be even better.

Sadly, although you
might feel that it will take all the responsibility off your
shoulders to have something planned for you, this is definitely time
to practice buyer beware.

You need time to
get to know what suits your child best – and what suits you.

Even if you feel
following a curriculum is the right path, it's really worthwhile
using a FREE
one for a
time to get more idea about how you and your child like working.

Trap Three:
Too High Expectations

It's very hard not
to adopt the school model
when you are beginning homeschooling. After all, it's the one most
of us know best!

But the problem is
you may be setting yourself up to fail.

If you're expecting to run a perfect home (which of us has one of those?) and have all your little darlings sitting quietly and expectantly at the table while you get the books out, think again.

Homeschooling is a two-way street. You are a parent as well as a teacher and you're going to be drawn into endless battles with your kids unless you can get them on side.

In school, it might work to stand in front and spout forth. There's no way you'll get away with that at home.

And once you start
having battles with the kids it's game over as far as homeschooling
is concerned.

Keeping up your
kids enthusiasm for learning
is the key to success.

That's why I used
my experience as one of the few 2nd
generation homeschoolers and asked my 10,000+ Facebook fans to help with
practical suggestions to make sure you get it right.

Whether you decide
to follow a strict schedule or choose unschooling,
you will see vital tips on what makes a great homeschool teacher and
how to help your kids through exams.

Beginning homeschooling is the start of an amazing journey. Knowing the top three mistakes can really help take the pressure off and prove to yourself that you CAN do this.

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If you feel in need of a boost to get some energy back into your homeschool, this is a great page to try :)

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